Joe Frazier Makes Pro Debut, KOs Woody Goss — August 16, 1965 (This Day In Boxing History)

Fifty-six years ago, Joe Frazier stepped into the boxing ring and won his first pro boxing match.

Frazier was on the undercard of Stanley Hayward versus Tito Marshall. Woody Goss, his opponent, was the third substitute for the bout, but Frazier didn’t hold back as the referee reportedly stopped the fight due to a “barrage” of punches.

“Referee Zach Clayton stopped the fight at 1:42 with Goss helpless from a barrage of left hooks after he had been floored for a mandatory eight count,” Boxing Hall of Fame reported.

Frazier made his professional boxing debut after an impressive gold medal performance in the 1964 Olympics, where he won USA’s only Olympic boxing medal that year.

The boxer was funded by a group of local businessmen and was able to transition to professional boxing full-time.

The next eight years, Frazier went undefeated. He even defeated heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali in 1971. His first loss was handed by George Foreman via TKO in the second round.